Pneumatic cash-carrier apparatus



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARTIN BARRI, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO THE IWIETEOR DESPATCH COMPANY, OF PORTLAND,

MAINE.

PN EU MATIC CASH-CARRIER APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 394,552, dated December18, 1888.

Application tiled October 6, 1887.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN BARRI, of Cambridge, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Pneumatic Cash- Carrier Apparatus, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

` This invention consists in the combination, with a pneumatic tube forthe transmission of a carrier or other article therethrough, providedwith an opening for the insertion therein or removal therefrom of acarrier or other article, and provided with a door or covering to closeand open said opening, of means and mechanism for the reception at eachopening of a carrier or other article to be transmitted therethrough anddelivery therefrom of a carrier or other article that has beentransmitted therethrough, all substantially as hereinafter fullydescribed, reference being had to the accompanying sheet of drawings, inwhichn Figure l represents in front view a series of pneumatic tubes forthe transmission therethrough of carriers or other articles as locatedat the cashiers desk or central station, portions being in section. Fig.2 is a side view of one of the pneumatic tubes shown in Fig. l, withparts below the tube in vertical crosssection. Figs. 3 and 4 arevertical central sections on lines 3 3 and 4 4, respectively, Fig. l.Fig. 5 is a detail vertical section on line 5 5, Fig. 2.

In the drawiiigs, A A represent pneumatic tubes for the transmission ofcarriers or other articles therethrough, each one of which tubes issecured at its bottom end to the top of a box or casing, B, near itsfront side, which box or casing has two longitudinal chambers, C D,separated by a longitudinal vertical partition, E, the box or casingbeing located at the cashiers desk or table or central station, wherethe several pneumatic tubes terminate. A separate pipe or tube, F, leadsfrom the back part of each tube A, and is secured to the top of thecasing B, back of its tube A, as shown in Fig. 2 more particularly, andeach pipe F has communication by a separate and independent opening, G,in the top of the Serial No. 251,631. (No m0del.).

casing B with the chamber D, and also communicates with the interior ofits respective tube A.

H is a pipe attached to the bottom of the casing and havingcommunication with the chamber D, and leading to and havingcommunication with any suitable operating-bellows or air-motor, by theoperation of which air is forced through the chamber D, pipe F, andthrough the desired pneumatic tube A for the transmission of a carrieror other article therethrough when desired.

At each of the openings G is a valve, J, hinged at a within the chamberD, arranged and adapted to cover and close said opening G and to beswung on its hinge a to uncover or open said opening, as shown,respectively, in Figs. 2 and l, so that the air from theoperating-bellows or other air-motor can be shut out of or enter thepipe F, as desired. The shaft or pivot-a of each valve J extendshorizontally through the partition E into the cham! ber C, where it hasattached to its outer end a bar or arm, K. In the end of this arm K is alongitudinal slot, b, in which engages a cross-pin, d, in the lower ,endof a vertical rod, L, which rod extends up through an opening, f, in thetop of the box B, alongside of its respective pneumatic tube A.

Attached to the back end of the valve-arm K is one end ot' a spiralspring, g, secured by its other end to the partition E at h, the tensionof which keeps the valve J closed upon its seat at all times except whenotherwise operated upon. 'lhe front part of each pneumatic tube is cutaway longitudinally, as shown, sufiiciently to make an opening, M, inthe front side of the tube for the insertion ot' and removal from thepneumatic tube of the carrier or other article.

N is a short piece of tubing closelyv encircling the pneumatic tube, butyet loose enough so that it can freely slide up and down there on. ThistubingI l\' is the door or cover to the opening' M, and when moved down,as shown at m, Figs. l and I, closes said opening, and

.when up, as shown at n, Figs. l, 2, and 3,

opens said opening. The back part of the lower end of this tube or coverN is cut away, as at fr, to allow it to slide down past the p0rtion t ofthe pipe F.

Attached to each side of each door N by one end, at u, is a spiralspring, P, which springs at their upper ends are attached to the tube A,as at n, the ten sion of which springs keeps each door or cover upagainst its respective shoulder w on the tube A, and thus the opening Mto the tube A free and open at all times, except when otherwise operatedupon.

Q is a spring, preferably made of springwire doubled upon itself, itslends being coiled around a bar, y, secured to' the pipe F and bent inthe form shown, or substantially so, so that its bulging or curvedportion R will project into the pneumatic tube, as shown in Fig. 4 moreparticularly.

S are several pieces of carpeting, having above them a thick piece offelt, T, which are placed in the tube A and rest upon the bottom a.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The carrier or otherarticle to be transmitted through atube, A, is placed within the tube atthe opening M, and then the cover or door moved down into the positionshownat fm, Figs. l and 4, and as it moves down its shoulder U strikesagainst the upper end of the rod L and presses it down, and through itsconnection with the valve-arm K, as de-V scribed, causes the valve J toopen, as shown in Fig. Zl. The door now being held closed,theoperating-bellows or other air-motor is operated, which forces airthrough the opening G into pipe F, and thence into the tube A under thecarrier placed therein, and forces it along and through the tube A toand delivers it at the other end of the tube through another or isimilar opening, M, at such end. As the carrier is sent back through thetube and is received at one of the tubes A at the central station, itstrikes against the cushion of carpeting and felt in the bottom of thetube A and vrebounds within the tube and then falls therein, but withsuch reduced momentum that when it then comes opposite to the opening Mit will strike against the spring Q and be forced out through theopening M, when it will drop quietly upon the table in front of thetube.

The spring Q should preferably be made light, so that when the carrierfirst arrives at the opening M its power will not be suiicient toprevent the carrier passing by it to and striking against the' cushion,as the spring only needs sufficient power to act upon the carrier afterits rebound from the cushion when it has lost host, if not all, of itsmomentum, and practically only has that derived from the distance itfalls after its rebound.

As usual in pneumatic-tube cash-carrier aplparatus the carrier isdelivered from the tube onto the table with,rnore or less of the fullmomentum impartedl to it b y the airmotor and its travel along the tube,and to receive the carrier at such place various devices andarrangements have been constructed and used to overcome the momentum ofand stop the carrier quietly and easily; but they are all more or lessobjectionable. ln the present invention the receiving-cushion and therebound of the carrier are all within the tube, so that after therebound of the carrier, which will only be a short distance in the tube,it will fall by the aid of the spring Q out of the opening M onto thetable with a very light blow.

To prevent the Vcarrier Vpassing down the pipe F, a wire, V, is securedin front of said pipe in a vertical line, which wire is between the twoarms of the spring Q, and serves also as a guide to its movements and toprevent its being pushed out of place. The spring Q, being made of wire,takes up but little room and does not interfere with the air passing tothe tube from the pipe F. lt also assists to hold the carrier up when itis inserted into the tube for transmission, as shown at W' in dottedlines, Fig. 4, so that the air will pass under it for its proper actionthereon in start ing it through the tube. The valve J does not need tobe used at the single. station or sales-counter, it only being necessaryat the cashiers desk or central station, where anumber of tubesterminate and communicate with the air-motor, in order that only thetube being used shall be in communication with the air-motor. The valvesare closed and the doors M open at all times, except when the carrier isbeing transmittedv from its end of the tube.

Any suitable valve, J, can be used and arranged to operate in anysuitable manner, this invention not being limited to the valve and itsconnections shown; also, any suitable spring, Q, can be used back of theopeningM and arranged in any suitable manner for op- .IOO

IIO

eration, as described, upon the carrier without departing from thisinvention; but the one shown and described is simple, cheap, andpractical.

The sliding door N, in lieu of being of tube form and extending aroundthe tube A, need only extend around the tube sufliciently to surelycover the opening M and be arranged to slide up and down in grooves orguideways on the tube A, or have narrow strips, &c., extend around thetube to keep it in place; also, the cushion can be made entirely of feltor of carpeting; or it can be made of any iibrousmaterial of a similarnature-such as leather or india-rubber-or it can be dispensed withaltogether, the carrier striking on the bottom of the tube; but it ispreferable to have a cushion of some sort, and that a more or lessyielding one, to break the force of the blow of the carrier as itstrikes it.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combination,with a pneumatic tube for-transmission therethrough of a carrier orother article, provided With an opening` in the for transmissiontherethrough of a carrier or other article, provided with an opening inthe side of said tube for the insertion and removal of the carrier orother article, and a door or covering` to said opening adapted to slideup and down over said openin g, of a valve adapted to open and closesaid tube to the air from the operating-bellows or other air-motor andarranged to be operated by the sliding door as it moves to close or openthe opening in said tube.

3. The combination, with a pneumatic tube for the transmissiontherethrough of a carrier or other article, provided with an opening forthe insertion and removal of a carrier or other article, and a spring inthe tube opposite to said opening, of a cushion composed of iibrousmaterial located in said tube for the carrier to strike upon, for thepurpose specified.

4. The combination, With a pneumatic tube for the transmissiontherethrough of a carrier or other article, provided with an opening forthe insertion and removal of a carrier or other article, and a coveringor door to said opening adapted to slide up and down over said opening,provided with a shoulder, of a valve adapted to open and close said tubeto the air from the operating-bellows or other air-motor having an armarranged in position for the shoulder of said door to abut against andoperate said valve, substantially as and for theA purpose specified.

In testimony Whereot- I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

MARTIN BARRI.

